LINCOLN, Neb (KMTV) — This past week the legislature has been working through the state’s budget for the next two years.
With senators' attention focused on spending, many are wondering if some of the state’s highest-dollar projects are worth the investment.
Projects such as building a new prison.
“We do not have the facilities, we have not kept up as a state. With building what I call the facilities so we are not overcrowded,” said Sen. Myron Dorn.
While funding has been appropriated for its design and construction, support for a new prison is far from unanimous in the legislature.
“The solution for our overcrowding problem isn’t just throwing more money at the problem because we have done that year after year after year. Nebraska has some of the highest spending per capita on our corrections system in the entire country. But we have the most overcrowded prisons, what’s up with that?,” said Sen. Megan Hunt.
In years past, much of the debate around building a new prison focused on the dilapidated conditions of the current Nebraska State Penitentiary in Tecumseh.
But Senators were informed this week that getting rid of the state pen is no longer on the table.
“They believe that there is some buildings that can be saved, but for the past three years it is been marketed as we need to replace the state pen because it is in such disarray nobody should stay there,” said Sen. Terrell Mckinney.
Mckinney is one of a group of senators who have argued that criminal justice reform is the better path to reducing prison overcrowding.
He has worked for years to introduce reforms but he says those talks have not yielded much progress.
“Those talks have been frustrating as well. You are dealing with a county attorney association that doesn’t want to budge and always wants to say no to be deemed tough on crime. You have other people who don’t want to make a vote, step up and be leaders. That's the issues we are dealing with,” said Mckinney.
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